1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to accessories for automobiles and, in particular, concerns an accessory that is attached to the underside of an automobile to capture oil and other drippings from the engine, the transmission or other ancillary parts of the automobile power train.
2. Description of the Related Art
One difficulty with automobiles is that the engines have a tendency, after long usage, to leak oil. The leaked oil can result in driveways and garages being stained. Further, the leakage of oil from the underside of cars results in a significant amount of oil accumulating on the roadways. During rains, this can present a driving hazard to motorists as the oil makes the roadway slick. Additionally, during rains the oil on the roadways eventually ends up in streams and other waterways thereby creating a significant environmental problem.
To address this particular problem, several oil drip collection devices have been developed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,418 discloses an oil drip collector that is essentially comprised of an oval-figured flexible sheet-like member that has springs to attach it to the underside of a vehicle. This pad is positioned underneath the vehicle and preferably has an absorbent sponge that is adhered to the flexible piece of material. The absorbent sponge collects the oil dripping from the engine and thereby prevents it from falling to the roadway.
One problem with the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,418 is that the absorbent sponge is small in cross-section and is not easily replaced. Specifically, as the sponge is saturated with oil, the entire device must be replaced. Further, this device is designed to be positioned underneath the automobile in the proximity of fast moving flying debris. Consequently, over long term usage, the flexible sheet can become torn or ripped which reduces the effectiveness of the device in preventing oil from dripping to the roadway during operation of the vehicle.
Several other oil catching devices have also been developed, however, they generally suffer from problems similar to the problems suffered by the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,418. Specifically, many of the oil drip collection devices previously developed consist of a single piece of absorbent material that is configured to be positioned underneath the engine of an automobile. Once this absorbent material is saturated with oil, the entire device has to be replaced. With some prior devices, the absorbent material is exposed to the roadway such that when the absorbent material becomes saturated, oil will drip from the absorbent material onto the roadway. Further, these types of oil collection devices use sponges and fibrous materials to absorb oil which often are very expensive and not specifically adapted to collecting and retaining oil.
Even further, many of these devices disclosed in the prior art are comprised of a single piece of fabric material. It will be appreciated that the device is to be located underneath the car, adjacent the roadway, in a position where the fabric is likely to be struck by rocks and debris. These rocks and debris can tear or otherwise damage the device thereby reducing its effectiveness in collecting dripped oil.
Although there are some prior art devices that position a plate underneath an absorbent material (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,848 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,329,231) these prior art devices are difficult to use, manufacture, and they utilize expensive absorbent materials. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 2,783,848 discloses a device that uses a single sheet of absorbent material, such as porous paperboard, which is not very effective in absorbing large quantities of dripping oil. Further, while U.S. Pat. No. 3,329,231 discloses using a package of material such as sand and the like, the package that appears to have been contemplated in this patent is a single package of material. The absorbent material contained within the package can therefore be non-uniformly dispersed within the package as the vehicle moves to the point where oil is not absorbed by the absorbent materials in particular location.
Hence, from the foregoing, it can be appreciated that there is a need for an oil drip collection device that has absorbent material spread out over a large area and is easily replaceable. Further, the needed device should also be configured so that the absorbent component is adequately protected from damage by rocks and other roadway debris and the absorbent material remains uniformly dispersed under the engine so that oil dripping from different locations can be absorbed.